STERLING HEIGHTS (WXYZ) — As Fire Prevention Month comes to a close, the Sterling Heights Fire Department is testing new technology aimed at preventing cooking fires before they start.
The department is installing SmartBurners at Fieldstone Apartments on Stonegate Drive as part of a pilot program that will provide the technology at no cost to about 100 residents.
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“One of the greatest risks we see is cooking fires,” Sterling Heights Interim Fire Chief Michael Amormino said. “Cooking fires is one of the leading causes of fires in a home.”
From 2018 to 2025, 31% of cooking fires in Sterling Heights occurred in multifamily buildings, according to the fire department. Fieldstone Apartments was identified as a high-risk multifamily housing property in the city.
Property manager Brittany Westson said the community has experienced three fires in the past two years.
“It’s the fear of not knowing whether everyone is safe, watching our neighbors face uncertainty,” Westson said.
On Tuesday, Sterling Heights firefighters began working with Fieldstone maintenance staff to replace traditional stove coils with SmartBurners, a product made by Pioneering Technology.
The burners are designed to limit how hot a cooking surface can become.
“Each one of these burners has a temperature-limiting device inside, a thermostat that essentially prevents the actual temperature of this burner from reaching a point where contents of a pan will auto-ignite,” said Will Boake, executive vice president of Pioneering Technology.
Boake said Sterling Heights is one of three sites nationwide participating in the 2026 Cooking Fire Prevention Toolkit initiative, which is supported by FEMA.
“The pilot gives Sterling Heights an opportunity to put a proactive approach into practice for residents,” Sterling Heights Fire Marshal Tracy Davis said.
For Fieldstone resident Catherine Romano, the technology provides an added layer of reassurance that goes beyond her own apartment.
“Being in an apartment, you’re not only responsible for what’s going on in your apartment, but also someone else’s apartment,” Romano said.
Romano is among roughly 100 Fieldstone tenants receiving the SmartBurners for free.
“They seem much safer,” she said.
Officials pointed to a similar effort launched by a Massachusetts fire department in 2015 with the help of a FEMA grant.
Kymberly Pashkowsky with the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services said the program has continued to report positive results.
“More than a decade later, that program still reports zero cooking fires,” Pashkowsky said.
The Sterling Heights Fire Department plans to monitor Fieldstone Apartments for at least the next year to determine the impact of the SmartBurners.
SmartBurners are also available for consumers to purchase online and at retailers such as Home Depot.
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